South Italy: A Privileged Perspective to Understand the Relationship between Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Overweight/Obesity

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that involves the terminal hair follicles of apocrine gland-bearing skin areas. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between HS and systemic medical conditions, such as overweight/obesity during adolescence. METHODS: Epidemiologic data was collected from January 2014 up to December 2015 from 27 patients affected by HS, outpatients of the Dermatology Department of University of Naples Federico II, to examine the correlation between HS and overweight/obesity. RESULTS: 70.4% of the patients were female and 29.6% were male. The mean age at onset of the disease was 18.1 ± 5.99 years, while the mean age at first diagnosis by the physician was 21.77 ± 6.61 years. A mean Sartorius score of 50.26 ± 21.75 was registered. Body mass index of HS patients was positively correlated with Sartorius score. CONCLUSION: Our study underlines the fact that particular attention to metabolic alteration in adolescence can lead to a correct diagnosis with less delay in HS.